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How easy is it to steal the RX-8?

Old 03-09-2004, 07:13 PM
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Question How easy is it to steal the RX-8?

As far as I know, the key of the 8 is necessary to start the car, otherwise the starter is electronically blocked... I was wondering if anyone knows how easy is to steal them. Is this a relatively well guarded car or stealing them is just as easy like most other cars?
Old 03-09-2004, 07:20 PM
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Well I drive it like, I stole it

* laughing*

Sorry I could'nt resist:D
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Old 03-09-2004, 07:21 PM
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every car is easy to steal. some ways are just harder than others.

as far as starting the car without a key goes, i have no idea if its hard or not. im sure it wouldnt be too difficult for someone who is experienced.
Old 03-09-2004, 07:44 PM
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Well, I'm not talking about a pro thief who has extensive knowledge about the RX-8 or the ones who just roll up to the car with a flatbed, lift the 8 up and off they go... more like the casual thief or your typical joyrider.
Would they have a hard time (hard enough to give up) to start the engine and drive away, seeing that they don't have the matching (and coded) key?
Old 03-09-2004, 07:57 PM
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im sure its like most other imports it has an immobilizer ecu that recognizes the ignition key if the codes dont match(resistor) than vehicle will not start. not just a simple hot wire. if im not mistaking you have to know the resistor size and put in line with ignition feed to by pass imobilizer computer. thats how most toyotas and hondas are
Old 03-09-2004, 07:59 PM
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this is a good question
my last car was stolen so I got lojack early warning on the rx8
and I hope that helps somewhat
Old 03-09-2004, 08:05 PM
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I watched an investigating program like Dateline or something similar about stealing cars. They got a hold of a few who are in the 'business' and let them go at cars that were set-up with different anti-theft devices, to see which one works best. In the end, I think The Club won, but then the men said that if they are unable to boost it, they will damage your car anyways! There is no winning with car theives.

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Old 03-09-2004, 08:10 PM
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Originally posted by moRotorMotor
I watched an investigating program like Dateline or something similar about stealing cars. They got a hold of a few who are in the 'business' and let them go at cars that were set-up with different anti-theft devices, to see which one works best. In the end, I think The Club won, but then the men said that if they are unable to boost it, they will damage your car anyways! There is no winning with car theifs.
Doing my best impersonation of Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean: car thief.

Basically, there is no honor among car thieves.
Old 03-09-2004, 08:20 PM
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Once you get into the car, break the ignition switch so you can turn it with a screw driver. This is easy with a screwdriver and a hammer. Now you can turn the switch. If it doesn't start without the electronic key, just push it a few feet with the ignition switch turned on (remember it's broken so you don't need a key to turn it!) and pop the clutch. Off you go with a new ignition switch to buy and maybe a door lock to fix. Probably would part out the car though so these are of little consequence.

The 2nd gen RX-7 is so easy to get into without a key that I can actually get the door open with a flat peice of metal faster than I can unlock it with a key! No you don't have to break anything. Just need to know how to do it.

Stealing cars is easy. Even with the club you just cut the steering wheel. This only takes a few seconds. If there is a club on the clutch or brake pedal, you reach down and short the sensor leads together that detect if the brake or clutch is pushed down. This way you don't need to push in the pedal to get the engine to turn over. Now just drive off and use the emergency brake to stop. You only need to get a few streets away from the scene. Have a flatbed or a U-haul waiting with the ramp down.

No I was never a car thief. I'm not good enough, brave enough, or stupid enough. An alarm is always a deterent. Regardless if anyone looks at them or not, you will still hear it if it is at home and this is where many car thefts take place. Lojack is also a good thing to have. Amazingly I learned how to get into cars easily when I worked at stereo shops. I saw alot of cars taken apart and got to see how they work. It isn't that difficult to figure out.
Old 03-09-2004, 08:28 PM
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Originally posted by rotarygod
No I was never a car thief. I'm not good enough, brave enough, or stupid enough. An alarm is always a deterent. Regardless if anyone looks at them or not, you will still hear it if it is at home and this is where many car thefts take place.
I just wish the RX8 came with a more visible alarm indicator/deterant like a flashing LED on the dash or rear view mirror like the bimmers.
Old 03-09-2004, 08:29 PM
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I heard that the latest craze for car thieves is to break into your house at night and just take the car keys laying around (coffee table, kitchen table, dresser table and, last but not least, hanging on the key rack) and drive off with your baby. The home owner wakes up to find the driveway rather...roomy.
Old 03-09-2004, 08:31 PM
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Originally posted by DViOuS
I just wish the RX8 came with a more visible alarm indicator/deterant like a flashing LED on the dash or rear view mirror like the bimmers.

I thought there was a red icon that blinks in the instrument panel when the car is off?
Old 03-09-2004, 08:31 PM
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Originally posted by rotarygod
The 2nd gen RX-7 is so easy to get into without a key that I can actually get the door open with a flat peice of metal faster than I can unlock it with a key! No you don't have to break anything. Just need to know how to do it.
The 2nd gen Probes are just as easy. I've had to do it on mine a couple of times. Kinda scary! What gets me is that the Probe was broken into many years ago and the stupid ****** broke the rear quarter glass to get in. New ones cost over $600 at a glass shop at the time (it's probably even more now). Using a flat screwdriver would have been much easier and less noisy and conspicuous on top! $600 for a new window was adding insult to injury on top of all the stuff they stole!!

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Old 03-09-2004, 08:39 PM
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Geez... rotarygod, hearing you it sounds like there is really not too much value to having that coded key - it only makes the owner's like more complicated when there is a need to replace a lost key since then it's not just enough to get a copy of the other key. Apart from that, this is no real protection against a thief
Darn...
Old 03-09-2004, 09:16 PM
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the best protection against thieves is insurance. a couple years ago my system was stolen and insurance paid for all of it plus some.
Old 03-09-2004, 09:28 PM
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Originally posted by mikeb

my last car was stolen so I got lojack early warning on the rx8
and I hope that helps somewhat
Ditto

Man this thread is depressing me. 2nd to last time my old car was stolen (well attempted at least), it was 1AM and the stupid f's smashed the passenger window on a summer night. Woke the whole friggen neighborhood up. To top it off, while breaking the ignition, they flashed the lights. If I only had a gun. Needless to say, they got what they were looking for at the body shop a week later

dag
Old 03-09-2004, 10:05 PM
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My old monte carlo ss was broken into four times, but the first time was by the dumbest idiot on the planet. his name, Ronaldo Raborez. This @$$hole tried to steal it on christmas eve. he must not have known what he was doing. he couldn't get it out of park, so he took the radar detector and ditched it, but left the door open and the engine running.

A police officer driving by saw the light on, stopped, then when he realized what happened, he called for backup, and eventually woke me up.

After we went out to look at the damage, the second car noticed the stupid mexican breaking into another monte carlo down the street.

HE WAS BREAKING INTO ANOTHER CAR WITH TWO COPS ABOUT 50 YARDS DOWN THE STREET! BOTH OF WHICH HAD THEIR LIGHTS ON.

Needless to say, they drove over, his "friends" in the other car ditched him, and the cops picked him up.

He still had my radar detector in his pocket, so it was open and shut.

Then I walked over as they were getting ready to put him in the car, and I laughed and leaghed at him. pointing my figure at his dumb @$$.

Turns out his prints were on a few other cars in the city.

Moral of the story? If you think for even a second that these car theives are smart, clever, whatever. Think about how dumb you'de have to be to not hold a job, and have to resort to stealing cars. they are the dumbest fools to walk the earth, so whether or not they steal your car, and you are out a bit of money, take solice in the fact that they will probably end up in jail or killed eventually. And they will never be rich, or intelligent.

Losers
Old 03-09-2004, 10:27 PM
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Most of them may be stupid but there are some bery good and creative thiefs out there. If they really want your car bad enough, they will get it if they are good enough. Luckily most are stupid.
Old 03-09-2004, 11:04 PM
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Originally posted by Tamas
Geez... rotarygod, hearing you it sounds like there is really not too much value to having that coded key - it only makes the owner's like more complicated when there is a need to replace a lost key since then it's not just enough to get a copy of the other key. Apart from that, this is no real protection against a thief
Darn...
NOT true! RX8 has coded access passive anti-theft system. Only registed keys will start the vehicle. The PCM communicates with the PATS module to start the engine. In order to cut & register new keys, the dealer's WDS diagnostic system is used to pull a code from the car. That code must be entered through Mazda's secure web & a "out" code is given to the technician. The technician then uses the outcode from the web & inputs to the WDS to register new keys.

It ain't that easy to steal these unless you tow them away on a flat bed, or steal the keys.
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Old 03-09-2004, 11:50 PM
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Well that's good I guess.
Old 03-10-2004, 12:34 AM
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Originally posted by rotarygod

The 2nd gen RX-7 is so easy to get into without a key that I can actually get the door open with a flat peice of metal faster than I can unlock it with a key! No you don't have to break anything. Just need to know how to do it.

I agree. I owned a 2nd gen RX-7 and I never worried about locking the keys in the car. Its as if mazda put a secret door handle nside the door. All it took was like you said, something flat to push down on a flat spot just above the door handle, and it would unlock. The horn would start beeping, and the lights would start flashing, but the door opened.
Old 03-10-2004, 12:34 AM
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Gone in 60 seconds baby!!!!
Old 03-10-2004, 12:39 AM
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Bottom line is this:

If someone wants to steal something, anything, they'll find a way.
Old 03-10-2004, 01:02 AM
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Originally posted by rotarygod
Once you get into the car, break the ignition switch so you can turn it with a screw driver. This is easy with a screwdriver and a hammer. Now you can turn the switch. If it doesn't start without the electronic key, just push it a few feet with the ignition switch turned on (remember it's broken so you don't need a key to turn it!) and pop the clutch. Off you go with a new ignition switch to buy and maybe a door lock to fix. Probably would part out the car though so these are of little consequence.
Are you still living in 1967?:p

Last I checked, the Renesis needed the spark plugs to be fired from time to time to complete the combustion cycle.
No spark, no go.
No coils firing, no spark.
No ignition sequence from the PCM, no coils firing.
No registered key head, no PCM cooperation.

Fortunately for the RX-8, this is a good kind of CAN buss interference.
Without the sensor coil in the steering column seeing a registered key in position, the PCM won't produce ignition.
You can try to bump start the Renesis all you want. This isn't the muscle car days of mechanical fuel pumps and points distributors!

Furthermore, no proper sequence for the keyless entry system and the PCM wont say OK even with the right key.

Try it some time!
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Old 03-10-2004, 01:20 AM
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Originally posted by DViOuS
I just wish the RX8 came with a more visible alarm indicator/deterant like a flashing LED on the dash or rear view mirror like the bimmers.
It does have a flashing dash indicator.
Originally posted by Mazda Monkey
NOT true! RX8 has coded access passive anti-theft system. Only registed keys will start the vehicle. The PCM communicates with the PATS module to start the engine. In order to cut & register new keys, the dealer's WDS diagnostic system is used to pull a code from the car. That code must be entered through Mazda's secure web & a "out" code is given to the technician. The technician then uses the outcode from the web & inputs to the WDS to register new keys.

It ain't that easy to steal these unless you tow them away on a flat bed, or steal the keys.
Thanks, I was gonna say that.

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